The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

Pokémon Go was an all-ages breakout mobile game hit in the summer of 2016, and it kept on existing even after it was no longer in the headlines. This morning, there was good news for lapsed and loyal players: The game is introducing more than 80 new species of critters, adding more in-game boosts, wardrobe options for players’ avatars, and items that will help players direct the evolution of their Pokémon.

Back in July and August, the game annoyed property owners, government officials, and privacy advocates, but now it mainly annoys remaining players who are tired of catching the same Pidgeys and Rattatas over and over. Its presence in news headlines faded as its overall popularity did, but the game still has plenty of players.

While non-players may not know it even while visiting those businesses, sponsored Pokéstops came to the United States, with Starbucks restaurants and Sprint, Boost Mobile, and RadioShack stores signing up for the program.

The 80 new creatures will come from Gold and Silver editions of the Nintendo version of the game. Niantic Labs, maker of Pokémon Go, isn’t owned by Nintendo: The game licenses the characters from The Pokémon Company, an entity that Nintendo only partially owns.

Even if the game does have a resurgence in popularity while it’s winter coat weather in much of the northern hemisphere, you won’t see as many people chasing the critters while holding their phones out: Since the game’s debut, the Go Plus wearable device and Apple Watch functionality for the game have been added, helping players stay safe and preserve their battery life.